Steady start

Michelle Wie enters the second round of the U.S. Women's Open 1 shot behind the leaders

NEWPORT, R.I. » The glamor girl was a grinder yesterday, the $10 million kid suddenly a blue-collar worker.

Michelle Wie is only 16, but she's played in enough U.S. Women's Opens (this is her fourth) to know that success in this event is more about scratching out pars than trying to achieve the spectacular -- especially in the early rounds.

Wie shot a 1-under 70 yesterday at Newport Country Club. Her scorecard featured 15 pars. What, no sand shot into the cup for birdie? No stiff 2-iron from the next county to set up a 5-footer for eagle?

Who needs high risk when you can accomplish what you need the safe way?

Wie did make two birdies to go with one bogey, but they were rather mundane, almost textbook in their execution, like most of the pars. Two to get on, two to get down. Time after time.

One exception was her favorite par of the day, on No. 3.

"I had to lay up and I hit my wedge shot a little bit long," Wie said. "It was off the green and I holed that putt (about 15 feet). It was downhill, very fast.

"I'm very proud of that par."

The 15-footer she made on No. 18 and the birdie it delivered seemed like a reward for Wie for her discipline in accepting her pars, taking what little the course would give for the previous 5 hours. And the gallery that had waited so long for a red number finally got its payoff, too.

If any of the thousands slogging around the muddy rough felt cheated by Wie's lack of adventurous golf, you couldn't tell. Anyone with an appreciation for smart and consistent play had to be impressed.

Apparently, she accomplished this in some pain, complaining of a "tweaked" left wrist. It's a recurring problem for Wie, and forced her to pull out of the Pearl Open last year. It didn't keep her off the practice range after her round yesterday, though.

"I felt like I had a very solid round today, lots of pars," Wie said. "That's what the U.S. Open is. You have to have pars when you're in trouble, get away with just a bogey or a par. And I felt like I did that today."

There are golfers who never learn this -- even some of the best in the world, like Phil Mickelson, who came unglued at the end of the other U.S. Open, last month.

Wie has had her times when she trades two or three strokes back to par for a failed attempt to gain one. She said watching the Mickelson meltdown reminded her of herself.

But not on this day.

Wie has now shot under par in the first round of her last five LPGA events -- every one she has played as a professional.

What she doesn't want is a repeat of last year's U.S. Women's Open, when she sat atop the leaderboard tied for first after three rounds, only to shoot an 82 on Sunday to finish tied for 23rd.

This is Wie's 29th LPGA event, and she's still looking for a win.

Three more efficient rounds like yesterday's and a little luck, and her first victory as a pro might be in the most prestigious event in women's golf.